Is it a cupcake? Is it a brownie?

Cute cake case found in Lakeland

Food Technology made me cry once, but it wasn't my least favourite subject at school (coughPhysicscough). It was redeemed by my teacher - a Scottish lady in possession of the desire to feed her students fresh baked scones at least once a month, and a fair portion of disdain for the rebranding of the useful, wholesome subject, "Home Economics" as "Food Technology". I'm not kidding when I say we spent year eleven learning how to make ready meals from scratch. I think it would be giving the exam board too much credit to suggest this was some sort of tongue-in-cheek thing.

The relevance of my teacher's Scottish heritage is that her pronunciation of the word "chalaza" ensured that the word was lodged firmly in my memory, along with its meaning - the stringy bit in an egg that suspends the yolk - and the fact that you should really take it out if you're making a meringue.

This lady ensured that in between learning about the hygiene regulations involved in sticking non-recyclable film over your sodium-drenched-microwavable-coronary-in-a-box, we actually learnt something about food and how it works. Once you know this, you can build your own recipes, keep them balanced and learn how to substitute ingredients to accommodate economy, allergies/intolerances - or in my case, poor shopping list construction. So... the basics of home economics. Subversive.

As a result, recently I created the most beautiful cupcakes I have ever, ever made. I had a photo of them, but I dropped my phone (and myself) in a ditch filled with melted snow on Saturday, and so the picture (and my dignity) is lost forever. You'll need to bake some for yourself to see what they look like. I will give you the recipe first, and then you can decide whether you want to bother with the "science" afterwards.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180°C (that is, 350°F or Gas Mark 4)
Set out 12 to 14 medium-sized cupcake cases on a baking sheet

Ingredients:

100g golden granulated sugar
100g caster sugar (you can use 200g of caster sugar instead of a mix of granulated and caster, but it gives a nice flavour)
150g unsalted butter
1 tbsp milk (evaporated, whole, semi-skimmed, soya, whatever)
2 free-range eggs
200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp fairtrade cocoa powder (or 4 if you like)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter in the microwave (in a microwave-proof bowl) for 1 minute or until liquid.

Add the sugar and beat together with a wooden spoon. When it is cooler (you don't want scrambled eggs here) add the eggs one by one and continue to beat the mixture.

Fold in the rest of the ingredients until smooth. (Folding means repeatedly scooping the mixture and flopping it gently over itself until it's all combined).

Half-fill the cupcake cases. Bake at 180°C for 15 mins. 

Leave to cool on the tray. They may collapse slightly, which is fine. They should be slightly gooey inside like a chocolate brownie. 

These are best when they've cooled down rather than being eaten warm. You can ice them with chocolate fudge icing if you want, but they're good as they are, trust me. 

How it works

I'll admit, I did supplement my memory a bit with this website - Fine Cooking - which I recommend as being informative about the correct ratios for a good cake. Quick disclaimer here: I'm not a scientist, so excuse me if my explanations are infantile at best. 

Most cake recipes suggest wheat flour. This is because wheat is high in the protein gluten. Gluten gives cake batter a gloopy elasticity which allows air in the mix to expand into fluffy bubbles, giving the cake its gorgeous texture. If you've tried baking with gluten free flour, you'll know that the finished product, while lighter, is crumbly and awkward to decorate. To recapture some firmness in gluten free recipes, add a teaspoon of xanthan gum. 

Eggs are pretty cool. They contain all of the vitamins and minerals needed by human beings with the exception of vitamin C. They are very high in protein, which would be used to nourish chickens were the eggs fertilised - which they're mostly not. They trap air very effectively when beaten and the yolks add some of the fatty richness. Once the eggs trap the air, the sugar in the recipe crystallises through the structure of the cake to keep the bubbles where they are, and works with the protein and starch in the flour to keep the whole thing together. The baking powder (sodium bicarbonate) produces carbon dioxide bubbles as the cake cooks which stops the cake becoming a flat mess.

So what's with the fat? It tastes awesome and keeps the cake moist. Butter is the best for its flavour, but it can be substituted for other baking fat if you're cooking for vegans or people with concerns about cholesterol.